We received word from the state this month that the vendor for our food assistance cards will soon charge fees to those customers who call the customer service line excessively. I want to make sure everyone knows this so the fees do not come as a surprise. We have more than 137,000 food assistance recipients in this community!

The fees start March 1. Ohio EPPICard users who call the customer service hotline more than 10 times per month will be charged a fee of 25 cents for each call over number 10.

The fee has always existed, but the vendor has not previously charged customers. Monitoring has found that some customers call the customer service line repeatedly each month, far exceeding the 10 call limit.

After their tenth call of the month, customers will hear a message reminding them that fees will accumulate after that call. Calls made by customers will not count towards the limit if they are made to: